Theresia Gouw

The first woman billionaire in venture capital.

Theresia Gouw was born in Indonesia to Chinese parents.

Her family fled political persecution and landed in a tiny town outside Buffalo, NY.

Her dad washed dishes. Her mom waited tables.

Theresia? She became the first student from her high school to get into Brown. She graduated magna cum laude in engineering. Then went to Stanford for her MBA.

She kicked off her career at Bain, co-founded a startup, and in 1999, made her way into Accel.

One of the most powerful VC firms in Silicon Valley.

She became their first female partner.

She backed Trulia, Imperva, HotelTonight, Forescout.

But her game-changer?

Facebook.

Accel’s 2005 investment was one of the most iconic bets in VC history.

At the IPO, she held an estimated 8 million shares. That stake alone? Over $5B today if untouched.

In 2014, she cofounded Aspect Ventures, one of the first female-led VC firms in Silicon Valley.

Five years later, she leveled up again, launching Acrew Capital.

The founding team? 83% women or people of color.

Assets under management? $1.7B.

But she didn’t just diversify her cap table: she diversified everyone else’s, too.

She launched the Diversify Capital Fund.

The largest of its kind to increase equity ownership for underrepresented communities in tech.

She co-founded First Close Partners, a fund-of-funds backing diverse emerging managers, and All Raise, a nonprofit helping women founders and investors navigate Silicon Valley.

She donated $1M so Fisk University, an HBCU, could become a direct LP in Acrew.

That move snowballed into The Historic Fund, uniting 10 VC firms and 9 HBCUs in a first-of-its-kind initiative.

Meanwhile, her portfolio is stacked:
– Divvy (sold to BILL for $2.5B)
– Chime (planning IPO at $11B)
– At-Bay, Pie Insurance, Arthur.AI, Gusto, HYCU

And she still finds time to sit on boards: Brown University, DonorsChoose, Stanford GSB.

In 2024, she joined the ownership group of the Buffalo Bills.

Closing the loop on those childhood Sundays when her dad taught her math through football stats.

She’s been named to the Forbes Midas List 9 times. Time’s 40 Most Influential Minds in Tech. Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women. Carnegie’s Distinguished Immigrants List.

And now? She’s sitting at a personal net worth of $1.2B.

Theresa is proof that you can invest for impact and returns.